Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to equipment and a process for the treatment of swimming pool water.
Swimming pool water is currently treated by continually passing part of the water from the swimming pool either over filters containing sand or over filters containing diatomaceous earth, after a coarse purification for removing materials such as, for example, hair. The water treated in this way then returns to the pool after the addition of a chemical product such as chlorine, chlorine dioxide, bromine, iodine, ozone or the like, in order to disinfect it.
The known sand filters contain either one layer of sand of uniform particle size, or several layers (generally 4 to 5) of sand of decreasing particle size, the layer of sand of largest particle size corresponding to the one through which the treated water leaves. To obtain clear water, it is essential to add a flocculant to the water which is to be treated, because the sand does not retain the particles whose diameter is less than 15 or 20 microns. The flocculant used is aluminum sulphate or aluminium chlorides, which are less dependent on the pH. However, despite repeated washing in counter-current, the water succeeds in passing through preferential paths. It is then necessary to use a special descaling product.
The diatomaceous earth filters are of several types. Some have automatic unclogging and others are without automatic unclogging and involve the continuous formation of alluvial deposits. Being very finely ground, the diatomaceous earth can retain particles ranging up to 1 micron in diameter. On the other hand, the fineness of the interstices causes rapid clogging. This is slowed down by restricting the filtration rate. However, the filter cloths require regular maintenance, the scale being removed by a specific product and the grease by a basic product.
Following this filtration over sand filters or diatomaceous earth filters, it is essential to disinfect the water. Chemical treatments or physical treatments are used for this purpose. The chemical treatments are generally based on chlorine, bromine, iodine, ozone or, preferably, chlorine dioxide. The physical treatments are based on ionizing radiation or ultraviolet radiation.
One subject of the present invention is a process and equipment for the treatment of swimming pool water which avoid the disadvantages of the processes and equipment of the prior art.
One object of the present invention is to provide a process and equipment of high reliability which can be used manually or automatically and have great versatility of operation.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and equipment which ensure a higher degree of safety in the treatment of swimming pool water, especially in bacteriological terms.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and equipment which are easy to operate.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and equipment which make it possible to avoid polluting the environment.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and equipment which makes it possible to save energy.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and equipment which make it possible to dispense with the conventional devices for filtration over sand or diatomaceous earth.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and equipment which make it possible at least partly to omit the chemical disinfecting treatments.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a process and equipment which make it possible to treat smaller quantities of the water contained in the swimming pool, per unit time (for example, per hour), while at the same time encuring that the water in the pool is in perfect condition.